


On the Way Home

by Adeadlymusician



Series: Rare Pair Heaven [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Marching Band, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drum Major!Bertholdt, Junior!Annie, Junior!Bertholdt, Junior!Reiner, M/M, No knowledge of marching band needed, Sophomore Eren Yeager, Trumpet Section Leader!Eren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 17:18:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11166462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adeadlymusician/pseuds/Adeadlymusician
Summary: Late night football games are usually memorable, especially for the band kids. It is filled with energy, excitement, and a lot of noise. Eren usually enjoyed late night games as they often held the best memories of playing in the stands and at halftime. But, Eren especially enjoys the ride home, sleeping next to his boyfriend Bertholdt. Except, of course, when Eren has a migraine.





	On the Way Home

**Author's Note:**

> It is almost marching season again, so I decided to dig up this old fossil and publish it.  
> Last Edited On: June 10, 2017

"We lost! Dammit!" A trombone player exclaimed quietly to the clarinet player next to him. Eren groaned and let his head hit the chair in front of him. His head was pounding due to a migraine, and the chatter of the pair behind him was starting to make his head hurt worse. In addition, the Charter buses were ALWAYS cold, and he forgot to bring a jacket and his favorite blanket (again). Eren had to prevent himself from shivering too violently in order to avoid aggravating the rampant pain in his head. Luckily, it was a Friday night away game that took them hours away from their school, so the darkness around him did help ease the agony. 

“If only the two idiots behind us would shut up…” Eren murmured to himself, hoping no one would hear. Bertholdt heard him, however.

"What's wrong, Eren?" Bertholdt asked faintly. Although Bertholdt did notice Eren’s discomfort when the band stepped off of the field after halftime, he hesitated to confront him about his well-being. After all, Eren did have a reputation for being hot-headed around people he was comfortable with, and the last thing Bertholdt wants was to be on the receiving end of Eren’s wrath. 

"... My head is killing me. I'm freezing too," Eren admitted quietly. Bertholdt nodded in sympathy.

"I understand somewhat. I hate headaches too. But how are you cold?" Bertholdt asked.

“... I forgot to bring my blanket," Eren said, shuddering violently. "How long do we have until we get back to the school?"

"... Around an hour or two," Bertholdt said after checking his phone to verify their location. 

"...Wonderful." Eren stated, staring at the seat in front of him intensely. 

Bertholdt stared at Eren for a couple minutes. He took note of how the trumpet player shivered and rubbed his arms in a futile attempt to generate heat. Bertholdt looked around for a wandering band director. Any type of PDA would be worth receiving some type of punishment, and the band directors would be especially brutal towards Bertholdt because he is a drum major and therefore should model excellence by following the rules. When he found none, Bertholdt silently grabbed Eren by his torso and pulled him onto his lap. The taller one wrapped his arms firmly around Eren and hugged him flush to his chest, letting Eren’s head rest on his collarbone.

Eren tensed up initially at the sudden movement. He did not expect to be engulfed by a pair of long, lanky arms. After a couple of tense second, he relaxed into Bertholdt’s grip, letting the heat wrap around him like a blanket. Eren snuggled closer to the other as he felt the warmth slowly seep into his frigid body. Bertholdt let out a small chuckle.

"Better?" He asked. Eren nodded and yawned. Bertholdt could not resist smiling at the sight of Eren relaxed and peaceful.

"Are you tired?" Eren nodded again, his eyes starting to droop. Bertholdt gently put his head on top of Eren's.

"Get some sleep: You deserve it. I'm proud of you."

"I know you are. I'm proud of you too, you unreasonably tall..." Eren did not finish the last part of his sentence as sleep engulfed him, a small smile resting on his face. A couple of moments later, his breathing evened out completely. Bertholdt smiled and scanned the rest of the bus. Reiner was speaking quietly with Annie several rows up and on the left. The trombone and trumpet sections were actually quiet for once, but only because the louder members were out cold. The entire mellophone section slept like they all had sleep deprivation. Although, if Bertholdt is being honest, the mellophone section was ALWAYS out cold during long bus rides. The contras(1) sat in the back, playing cards. The euphoniums were a mix of those who slept and those who talked. In the front, both band directors were fast asleep, their snores echoing across the bus, much to the amusement of everyone still awake. Reiner glanced in Bertholdt's direction and flashed a thumbs up. When his vision shifted down and saw Eren’s faint outline, he grinned. He looked around and snuck over to the dou.

"He's out like a light," Reiner commented once he got in close proximity. Bertholdt smiled and ran his fingers gently through Eren’s soft hair. Reiner did not fail to notice the amicable and tranquil look on Bertholdt’s face, but he refrained from commenting.

"I know. I am not surprised," Bertholdt replied, his eyes full of adoration.

"Yeah. I can't believe Smith did that though. I mean it was a good idea, but I'm still surprised." Reiner shrugged. "Becoming a section leader and getting a major solo part in the show is impressive for anyone, but especially for a sophomore. Most of the sophomore and junior trumpets who auditioned for section leader last year were more than qualified, and yet Smith choose Eren, a then-freshman."

"I can’t claim to know why Smith chose Eren, either. Galliard and Pieck were wonderful candidates with more than enough qualifications. However, I think Eren’s tenacity may be the reason Smith choose him. You should see how much and how well he practices," Bertholdt muses, staring thoughtfully at the teen in his lap.

"Do you think Smith thought of that from the start?" Reiner pondered out loud.

"Huh?" Bertholdt asked curiously.

"Do you think he had that in mind from the very beginning? To make Eren section leader?" Reiner clarified. Eren groaned softly and clawed at his ears, an action that went unnoticed by Reiner. 

"Possibly. And could you be quiet? He has a migraine," Bertholdt warned, worry flickering in his eyes briefly.

"I know. I know. Anyways, I'll leave you two alone. Tell Eren that I said he did great today." Reiner smiled.

“I can hear you, you know. Now shut up…” Eren mumbled. Bertholdt stared at a surprised Reiner, as if to tell him “I told you so.” Reiner shook his head and navigated his way through the randomly assorted duffel bags and stray limbs. Eren continued to mumble incoherently before he became quiet. Bertholdt, of course, knew he was awake: Eren did not sleep well on long bus rides.

"You did well today. If you perform at tomorrow's contest the way you did tonight, then we will win..." He whispered into Eren's hair. Bertholdt relaxed and let his head against rest Eren’s as he slowly drifted off into sleep (A mistake Reiner would never let go, as now he had blackmail in the form of pictures).

**Author's Note:**

> 1 A contrabass, or a contrabass bugle if you want to be fancy, is the lowest pitched instrument on the hornline for marching band and DCI. The concert band equivalent would be the Tuba. It has better tone than a Sousaphone, the most common and affordable version of the marching tuba, and is seen in DCI and in high school marching bands that have a rapid and large influx of money.
> 
> I am seriously contemplating developing other stories in this AU. It is easy to work with, and does not have angst (or a lot of it, at the very least).


End file.
